Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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GOLF PRACTICE DEVICE
The game of golf is becoming ever more popular around the
world. It is not always possible for a golfer to have
access to a golf course or driving range, and there exists
a need for a device which allows a golfer to practice
driving of golf balls in their own home, office or other
convenient location as and when it suits them.
Quite a variety of existing golf practice devices are
available. In general, these have a golf ball or simulated
golf ball tethered to some kind of anchor. One such device
in which the ball is connected to an anchor by means of an
elasticated cord is disclosed in US Patent No. 4660835. A
more sophisticated type of device, is shown in US Patent
No. 4429880 which shows a golf ball which is mounted on a
joystick arrangement, where sensors are arranged to
transmit data concerning the movement of the joystick as it
is struck to a computer. The computer makes a calculation
of the distance the ball would have travelled if it was a
normal free golf ball based on the detected movement of the
joystick. '-
Other prior devices include a simulated ball mounted on a
rigid rod. Sensors placed on the rod measure the movement
of this as the ball is struck. One such device is shown in
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US 4958836.
There are various problems with the existing devices. For
those where the ball is mounted on a rigid rod there is the
significant drawback that the ball does not have the feel
of a normal free ball. When the ball is not struck
absolutely squarely, a lateral force is transmitted to the
device, whereby the ball does not react as a free ball
would. As well as feeling unnatural such lateral forces
cause eventual damage to the device.
Many of the prior art devices are very large and
complicated, requiring a special platform, computing
equipment and display device, such that they are
appropriate only for commercial use.
The present invention seeks to provide an improved golf
practice device which is simple to use, and can be used
even inside the home if desired, and yet still gives the
feel of a free golf ball.
According to the present invention there is provided a golf
practice device comprising:
a base supporting a substantially vertical fixed
shaft;
a wheel mounted for rotation about the shaft;
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a ball tethered by at least one flexible cord to the
wheel;
sensing means disposed adjacent the wheel to detect
the rotation thereof and output a signal representative of
S the rotation;
processing means adapted to process said signal and to
output a signal representative of a free distance of travel
of the ball; and
display means to display said distance to a user.
Use of a ball tethered by a flexible cord and which rotates
about a vertical axis results in an arrangement which
closely approximates the feel of striking a real "free"
golf ball.
Preferably, the wheel is mounted on the shaft by means of
a rolling bearing. This ensures minimal friction acts
against the rotation of the ball, increasing accuracy of
velocity measurement, as well as enhancing the free feel of
the ball.
The ball is preferably tethered to the wheel by means'of a
pair of cords. The use of two cords serves as a safety
feature since the ball will still be tethered even if one
cord breaks. The cords are preferably of substantially
identical length.
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In the preferred embodiment the wheel includes a
photointerrupter in the form of a ring comprising a large
number of upstanding generally axially-extending fingers,
said sensor comprising an opposed photo-transmitter and
S receiver arranged on opposite sides of the ring. This
structure allows an accurate measurement of velocity to be
made. The ring is provided with a solid fingerless arcuate
region, over which region no signals are generated by said
sensor as this region moves through the sensor. The
arcuate region extends through an angle about 10 degrees,
and in the position in which the ball is struck blocks the
sensor. This allows measurement of velocity to be
commenced only after the ball has undergone a degree of
rotation so that no measurement is made of the period
during which the ball is in contact with the club head over
which the ball is still accelerating.
The ball is preferably a solid sphere of polyurethane.
Such a ball closely approximates a real golf ball. The
golf ball may include at least one wear indicator in the
form of at least one small recess in the surface of the
ball. The recesses may be of a contrasting colour to~the
rest of the ball. This wear indicator acts as a safety
feature by indicating to a user when it is trine to change
the ball.
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The device may include a protective mat which underlies the
base of the device, to which the base is fixed. The device
is preferably a stand-alone unit, which may be used in any
location as desired by the user without the need for
additional securing means.
Embodiments of the invention are now described, by way of
example only, with reference to the following drawings in
which:
Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of the golf practice
device according to the first embodiment of the invention;
Figure 2 (a) is a view from above of a part of an optical
wheel of the device shown in Figure l;
Figure 2(b) is a cross-sectional view along the line A-A of
part of an optical wheel shown in Figure 2(a);
Figure 3 is an exploded view of the golf practice device;
Figure 4 shows the arrangement of a base and a central
shaft of a golf practice device in accordance with a second
embodiment of the invention;
Figure 5 illustrates the method of connection of a lower
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housing part to an upper housing part of the device in
accordance with a second embodiment of the invention;
Figure 6 is a view of the wheel (with optical ring removed)
showing the connection of a ball thereto; and
Figure 7 is a view of the device from above showing the
controls thereof.
Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view through the golf
practice device in accordance with the first embodiment of
the invention, and in which the device is indicated
generally by reference numeral 2. The device includes a
generally frustoconical ring-like base 4. The base 4
supports a central fixed shaft 6 a lower end of which
extends into a central well formed in the base 4. The
shaft 6 is provided with a central threaded bore at its
lowest end into which a nut 8 extends to thereby removably
fix the shaft 6 to the base 4. The shaft 6 is preferably
formed of metal, but a plastics shaft may also be used. A
wheel 10 is rotatably supported on the shaft 6 through a
rolling bearing 12, which is a conventional ball bearing
including a plurality of steel balls 14. At its lower face
the wheel 10 is provided with a bearing cover ring 15 which
is connected to the wheel 10 by means of a pair of screws
16 ( see Figure 3 ) , thereby serving to clamp the wheel 10
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onto the bearing 12.
A simulated golf ball 18 is connected to wheel 10 through
a pair of cords 20 of substantially identical length. Both
cords 20 pass through a bore 22 which extends through the
ball 18 to an enlarged recess 23 at which the cords are
provided with knots 24. The opposite ends of the cords 20
are provided with tubular fixings 26 through which the
cords extend and which sit in respective recesses formed in
the wheel 10, as best seen in Figure 6. Both the knots 24
and 29 are coated in plastics material such as epoxy resin
to prevent movement and possible loosening or untying of
the knots. The bore 22 and recess 23 of the ball are also
filled with plastics material such as an epoxy resin after
assembly. The wheel 10 is formed with a vertically
elongate aperture 27 through which the cords 20 extend in
a radial direction with respect to the shaft 6. The golf
ball 18 may be formed of a variety of materials, but can be
advantageously formed of a solid sphere of polyurethane. A
ball of this material can have a weight and dimension
closely approximating a real golf ball. Moreover, a solid
polyurethane ball has been found to mimic closely'-the
characteristics of a real golf ball in terms of feel on
impact, giving the familiar "click" and "feel" of a real
ball. A material with a hardness value of 95A has been
found to be particularly appropriate.
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As can be seen in Figure 1, the ball 18 includes on
opposite sides a pair of shallow generally cylindrical
recesses or depressions 25, typically 1-2 mm deep, although
they may be deeper than this. These are arranged on the
vertically spaced sides of the ball. As the ball wears due
to repeated impact with a protective mat or with the ground
the depth of the recesses 25 will reduce, allowing a user
to see clearly the progressive wear of the ball. The
bottom or inner surface of the recesses may be coated with
a contrasting colour to the rest of the ball to make it
even easier to follow the wear. Once the recess has either
disappeared or decreased in depth by a certain degree (as
may be indicated by use of different colours) the user
knows it is time to change the ball. At the same time the
cords 20 and fixings 26 will be replaced. This ensures the
safety of the device.
An optical ring 28 is mounted on an upper face of the wheel
10 by means of screws 30. The optical wheel 28 carries a
large number of upwardly extending fingers 32 which form
part of the arrangement for detecting the velocity of the
golf ball, as will be described in further detail below.
An upper part of the shaft 6 supports a housing which
carries an optical sensor, associated electronics, a
battery, and a display device as is now described. The
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shaft 6 is provided approximately halfway along its length
with a collar 34 on top of which sits a lower housing part
36. Near a left side of the device as shown in Figure 1,
on the lower housing part 36 there is mounted an optical
sensor 38 which is carried on an optical sensor circuit
board 40. The optical sensor 38 includes a U-shaped
element having opposed arms which lie on opposite sides of
the fingers 32 of the optical ring 28 and which
respectively carry an aligned photodetector and
photoemitter. A variety of proprietary sensors are
available. An infra-red type sensor is preferably used.
As the wheel 10 rotates the fingers 32 interrupt the
optical beam resulting in the output from the sensor of a
sequence of pulses, the frequency of which is proportional
to the rotational velocity of the wheel 10. One region 33
of the optical ring 28 is provided with a solid arcuate
portion. As this region, which extends over an angle of
about 10, moves between the photoemitter and detector no
pulsed optical signal is generated. When the ball 18 is
placed in position to be driven, the wheel 10 is positioned
so that the region 33 lies within the sensor 38. This
arrangement ensures that as the ball is struck and starts
to move, over the period of acceleration of the ball whilst
the ball is in contact with the club head, no'measurement
of velocity is being effected. Recording of pulses
commences as the fingers 32 are reached, at which point the
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ball is already at or near its maximum velocity.
The lower housing part 36 also defines a battery housing 42
having a battery housing door 44 and enclosing a 9 volt
battery 46. An upper region of the shaft 6 is provided
with a thread which is engaged by a fixing nut 48 which is
itself connected to the lower housing part 36 by means of
screws 50.
A tubular housing 70 fits over the lower housing part 36
making a tight fit therewith. A pair of printed circuit
boards S4 are supported on the housing 70. Pillars 52
depend from the cover 70 and are connected to corresponding
pillars 53 upstanding from the lower housing part 36. The
circuit boards 54 carry the electronic components necessary
in order to process the pulsed signals received from the
optical sensor 38 representative of velocity into an output
representative of the distance which a real free golf ball
would have travelled if subjected to the same impact as
received by the golf ball 18 of the device, and to display
this distance. A microprocessor or central processing unit
is utilised including a memory in which is stored look-up
tables of distance values associated with each velocity (or
rather frequency or number of sensor pulses for a given
period), or alternatively employing a stored algorithm
yielding a distance value on input of a number of pulses.
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In the case of look-up tables, appropriate tables will be
provided for each club weight, or rather group of club
numbers as discussed below. The printed circuit board 54
also supports a liquid crystal display housing 56 which
carries a liquid crystal display (LCD) 58. A pair of slide
switches 60, 61 and buttons 62, 63 respectively and a push
button switch 66 having a button 68 are also provided as
discussed further below.
A face plate 72 fits on the upper region of the housing and
is provided with a clear region which overlies the LCD 58
and with apertures through which the buttons 64, 65 and 68
protrude. This plate 72 carries the markings as shown in
Figure 7.
In use, the golfer activates the device by moving the
switch 65 from a central off position to either a manual
(left-hand) or automatic (right-hand) position. The golfer
selects the appropriate club number which he is using by
means of the club selection switch 64, a left hand position
for club numbers l, 2 and 3, a central position for 4, 5,
6 and a right-hand position for 7, 8 and 9. As the bald 18
is struck the ring 10 rotates about the shaft 6, the
optical sensor 38 giving a pulsed signal the frequency of
which is proportional to the rotational velocity of the
wheel 10. The processor determines a "velocity" by
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determining the number of pulses which have been detected
by the sensor in a predetermined sensing time, typically 10
milliseconds. This velocity is equated to the true
distance a real golf ball would have travelled if struck by
that club, and outputting the distance on the LCD. In the
manual mode the device can then be reset by pressing the
reset button 68 in readiness for a further golf drive. In
the automatic mode the resetting occurs automatically after
a short predetermined delay.
In order to protect the surface on which the device is
placed a driving mat 80 of rubber-like material may be
provided as shown in Figure 3. This is provided with an
aperture 82 through which protrudes a rubber tee 84. An
underplate 86 preferably of metal is provided below the mat
80 having a central aperture dimensioned so that the shaft
of bolt 8 can extend there through, the plate 86 serving to
clamp the mat 80 to the base 4.
In an alternative arrangement shown in Figures 4 and 5, the
shaft 6' is not formed of metal, but is formed of a
plastics material, and alternative means of securing"the
shaft 6' to the housing and base are provided. The upper
half of the shaft 6' is provided with opposed
longitudinally extending grooves 54 and a neck 55. The
central aperture in the lower housing part 36 is provided
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with a pair of inwardly extending lugs 52 which engage in
the grooves 54. Instead of providing a nut (48 in the
first embodiment), a clip 56 formed of a slightly resilient
material is fixed to the lower housing part 36. On
assembly, the housing is fitted onto the shaft 6 so that
the lugs 52 engage in the grooves 54, the housing being
pushed downwardly until the lugs 52 reach the neck 55 at
which point the housing can be rotated. On rotation
through 90° the opposed arms 58 snap-fit into the grooves 54
to lock the lower housing part 36 onto the shaft 6' and in
the correct relative orientation. At its lower end, the
shaft 6' is provided with a locking nut 59 which serves to
releasably lock the base 4 to the shaft 6'.
As will be appreciated from the above description, the
device is a stand-alone unit which can be used in any
location where the user has room to swing a golf club. The
wide base and low centre of gravity means that no
additional securing means, such as pegs or stays, are
required. The device may be used for either left or right-
hand swings without modification. The device gives both
realistic feel and accurate measurement of distance which
a real free ball would have travelled.
